Alaska governor says he wants policies supporting families

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy instructed lawmakers late Monday he desires to work with them to make Alaska “probably the most pro-life state within the nation,” with insurance policies supporting households and making the state an inexpensive and a fascinating place to dwell.

“Youngsters are a blessing and so they shouldn’t be seen as a burden. However all of us have to simply accept that elevating a household right this moment is tougher than when many people had been rising up,” the Republican instructed a joint session of the Legislature in the course of the first State of the State speech of his second time period.

He cited inflation and housing, meals and vitality prices, which he mentioned had been “making folks suppose twice about rising their household and even beginning one.”

He mentioned if policymakers are profitable, they may enact insurance policies lowering the price of residing, addressing well being care choices and serving to create jobs with wages that may help households.

Alaska’s Supreme Court docket has interpreted the state structure’s proper to privateness as encompassing abortion rights.

Dunleavy mentioned lawmakers have an opportunity this session to “change the course of Alaska’s historical past.” He urged motion on a spread of initiatives, together with laws geared toward crime and public well being and efforts to advertise the state, which he known as a “useful resource powerhouse.”

The speech, delivered per week into a brand new legislative session, additionally touched on acquainted themes for Dunleavy, who in November turned the primary Alaska governor since 1998 to win back-to-back phrases. These included preventing in opposition to federal actions seen as slowing or delaying vitality growth initiatives.

He additionally touted what he noticed as successes of his first time period, resembling passage of laws geared toward bettering studying abilities for college students and the fee of $3,284 to residents final fall, representing a mixture of the yearly dividend from the state’s oil-wealth fund and a particular vitality reduction fee.

The checks had been authorized by lawmakers final yr when oil was round $115 a barrel. Extra just lately, North Slope oil has been within the $80-per-barrel vary. Dunleavy is proposing a dividend of round $3,860 this yr. Republican Senate President Gary Stevens has expressed issues that the quantity is just too excessive, given obligations for different state companies.

The Senate majority has expressed curiosity in addressing training funding and retirement and retention points for lecturers.

The 20-person Senate is managed by a bipartisan coalition of 9 Democrats and eight Republicans. The 40-member Home has a 23-member Republican-led majority that features two rural Democrats and two rural independents. Two Home Republicans — Reps. Louise Stutes and David Eastman — usually are not within the majority or minority.

Dunleavy, in his televised deal with, sounded an upbeat tone and mentioned he was optimistic in regards to the begin of the brand new session “as a result of I imagine that what we do now within the subsequent 4 months will set Alaska’s course not only for the subsequent 4 years, however for the subsequent 50 years and past.”

He talked about efforts to enhance meals safety and his proposal to monetize carbon. Lawmakers have expressed curiosity in studying extra particulars in regards to the carbon plan, which Dunleavy has billed as a method to generate revenues for the state.

Members of the Senate majority described the speech as constructive. Stevens mentioned he has seen a change in Dunleavy, whose relationship with lawmakers has been contentious at instances throughout his first time period. Stevens mentioned he thinks Dunleavy is “extra comfy” in his position as governor and he believes the Senate can discover frequent floor with Dunleavy.

Sen. Invoice Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, mentioned he appreciated Dunleavy’s feedback about supporting households. However he mentioned he hoped a part of such efforts would come with measures to deal with inexpensive housing and youngster care, coping with a backlog in distribution of meals stamp advantages and Okay-12 funding.

There was a rally in help of training funding exterior the Capitol earlier than Dunleavy’s speech.

Home Minority Chief Calvin Schrage, an Anchorage unbiased, mentioned in a press release that his caucus is “inspired that the Governor is concentrated on making Alaska an ideal place to lift a household.” Schrage mentioned including cash for colleges, addressing pensions for lecturers and public security officers and rising investments in maternal and youngsters’s well being are methods to try this.